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PODCAST

Not Just the Tudors

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks about everything from the Aztecs to witches, Velázquez to Shakespeare, Mughal India to the Mayflower. Not, in other words, just the Tudors, but most definitely also the Tudors.Each episode Suzannah is joined by historians and experts to reveal incredible stories about one of the most fascinating periods in history, new releases every Wednesday and Sunday.A podcast by History Hit, the world"s best history channel and creators of award-winning podcasts Dan Snow"s

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All Episodes

44:43

John Dudley, The 'Wicked' Duke

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/10/05

How did the son of an executed traitor rise to become the power behind young Edward VI? Was John Dudley a visionary patriot saving England from crisis or a ruthless opportunist who risked everything for ultimate power?Following the death of Henry VIII, Dudley seized control of the realm. However, his later gamble to put Lady Jane Grey on the throne condemned him to the executioner's block.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Snow explore John Dudley's meteoric rise and catastrophic fall.Watch

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57:55

How the Americas Transformed Tudor England

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/10/01

In 1588, mathematician Thomas Harriot mapped a doomed colony and drafted the playbook for English empire. But did Indigenous culture reshape Shakespeare's England just as profoundly?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Lauren Working to explore how indigenous knowledge, labour, and resources, from Bolivian silver to North American beaver pelts, vibrant feather work, and Algonquin smoking customs, infiltrated Tudor fashion and society.MOREElizabethans in AmericaListen on ApplListen on

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42:38

Earl of Essex: Rise & Fall of Elizabeth I's Favourite

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/09/28

How did a favourite of Elizabeth I go from royal darling to executed traitor?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Alex Gajda and Dr. Will Tosh to explore the meteoric rise and catastrophic fall of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, one of the most glamorous yet volatile figures in Elizabethan England. Together they unpack the true motives behind Essex's rebellion and the surprising propaganda role played by William Shakespeare.Watch Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb's new series How The Tudors Lost Their

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55:23

Dutch Armada: The Last Invasion of England

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/09/24

Why did the Dutch Republic risk everything to launch one of the boldest seaborne invasions in English history and overthrow King James II? Why did England’s defences collapse so quickly? How close did the operation come to disaster?In 1688, William of Orange led a Dutch armada of 16,000 troops across the North Sea, after years of diplomacy, financial manoeuvring and meticulous military planning. Yet victory was never guaranteed.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr Arthur de Weduwen, to

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50:11

Royal Favourites: The Filthy Earl of Rochester

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/09/21

**CONTAINS VERY STRONG LANGUAGE & ADULT THEMES**What really went on behind closed doors in the scandalous court of the "Merry Monarch"? What made John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, both Restoration England's most notorious debauchee and sharpest literary mind?Rochester's razor-sharp verse sliced through religious hypocrisy, court politics, and even the King’s own reputation, pushing the boundaries of royal patience further than anyone else dared.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Rebecca Rideal

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54:49

The Rotten End of Henry VIII

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/09/17

Death, death, and more death surrounds Henry VIII's final years.What happens when a monarch is trapped by physical decay, paranoia, and lethal court factionalism? He may have secured an heir and severed ties with Rome, but Henry VIII found no peace. And once he turns away from you, he doesn't turn back.In our series finale, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Joanne Paul explore the explosive 1540s to ask: was Henry’s legacy a sovereign nation, or a traumatised, ruined kingdom?MOREThe Death of Henry

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51:11

Henry VIII's Reign of Terror

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/09/14

**Contains graphic description of execution**What happened when one monarch's personal obsession dismantled an entire international order? How did Henry VIII transform a marriage crisis into the English Reformation—and at what point did royal ambition cross the line into outright tyranny?When papal authority, international diplomacy, and canon law stood between the king and his quest for an heir, Henry did not yield. Instead, he rewrote the legal and religious fabric of the realm.In the third

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52:22

Quest for an Heir: Henry VIII, Aragon and Boleyn

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/09/10

In the 1520s, a dynastic crisis loomed behind the brilliance of Henry VIII's court. Desperate for a male heir after Catherine of Aragon's string of tragic pregnancies, Henry's frustration mounted as his foreign military adventures failed and the pope stalled his annulment. Following grisly executions, public book burnings of Martin Luther's texts, the shocking elevation of an illegitimate son, Henry stood at a dangerous crossroads. Join Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Joanne Paul to explore all

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51:13

Henry VIII: From Cradle to Crown

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/09/07

How did a dazzling young Tudor prince become one of history's most notorious kings? How much of Henry VIII’s later tyranny was shaped by the world into which he was born?Long before the six wives, the Reformation and the executions, Henry started out as the charismatic, highly educated, athletic, second son, who was never expected to inherit the throne. But when his elder brother died in 1502, the spare suddenly became the heir.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Joanne Paul begin a four-part

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41:11

How to Survive as a Tudor Peasant

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/09/03

What was everyday life like for an ordinary person in Tudor times? How did dramatic changes in population, climate, disease and the economy reshape villages across England?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb steps beyond the royal palaces to discover the world most people actually knew. She is joined by Professor Andy Wood who reveals the resilience, relationships and realities that shaped the lives of normal folk.MORENormal Women with Philippa GregoryListen on AppleListen on SpotifyTudors & Their

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49:25

Young Elizabeth I: Princess & Prisoner

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/08/31

How did a child written off by the Tudor court rise to become one of England's most iconic monarchs?Before she became queen, Elizabeth Tudor was surrounded by scandal, suspicion and deadly intrigue. Born to Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, Elizabeth was a princess by birth, until her mother was executed and her title revoked. Declared illegitimate and caught in a storm of politics, Elizabeth faced threats from all sides.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Nicola Tallis to trace Elizabeth’s

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49:00

Captain Cook: The Voyage that Changed the World

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/08/27

How did Captain James Cook's scientific voyage of 1768 become a mission for the British empire?While expanding knowledge of Pacific geography and natural history, Captain Cook was under secret orders to claim lands for Britain.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr Sarah Easterby-Smith explore this legendary expedition which combined science, commerce and colonial expansion.MOREWhen Europeans reached AustraliaListen on AppleListen on SpotifyMagellan: The First Man to Sail the WorldListen on AppleListen

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42:37

Manhattan’s Most Notorious Couple

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/08/24

Who were the scandalous, defiant couple on the margins of Dutch society who became part of the founding story of New York?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Alan Mikhail to uncover the extraordinary lives of Anthony “the Turk” and Grietje Reyniers, who arrived in 17th-century New Amsterdam and quickly became infamous. Their story reveals a forgotten, messy and multicultural origin story of New York City, one far stranger than the myths America later told about itself.MOREThe Birth of

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1:01:41

James V: Scotland's Ambitious Renaissance King

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/08/20

Was James V of Scotland a beleaguered child king or a brilliant Renaissance ruler who mastered the performance of power?Crowned before his second birthday, James curbed powerful magnates, strengthened royal authority and secured Scotland’s place in Europe, holding together a kingdom threatened by faction, England and religious upheaval.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr Amy Blakeway to reassess a monarch who navigated politics, diplomacy and danger, while presiding over a dazzling court

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48:11

True Crime: Mass Murderering Artist Cellini

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/08/17

How did a murderous, swaggering, wildly unreliable goldsmith become one of the most celebrated artists of the 16th century? Does genius excuse monstrous behaviour?Benvenuto Cellini's story is as shocking as it is dazzling, taking him from the bloody streets of Florence to the Sack of Rome, papal prisons, accusations of sodomy, spectacular jailbreaks and timeless artistic masterpieces.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Noah Charney to explore Cellini's outrageous life.MOREVasari: Inventor

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40:35

C.S. Lewis & Narnia: Renaissance Origins

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/08/13

Why does C.S. Lewis's Narnia - with its images of winter, sacrifice, kingship and renewal - continue to resonate with generations of readers? How did Lewis weave Renaissance symbolism and Christian imagination into one of literature’s best-loved fantasy worlds?Lewis’s deceptively simple children’s stories were shaped by his scholarship in classics, literature and theology. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Alister McGrath, to uncover the intellectual and historical influences behind

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40:55

The Star Chamber: Murder, Witch & Libel Trials

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/08/10

What really happened inside England’s most feared court? Was the Star Chamber a sinister instrument of royal tyranny, or a vital route to justice for those ignored by ordinary law?From its rise under Henry VII to its abolition in 1641, the Star Chamber heard cases involving murder, witchcraft, libel, corruption, riots, political dissent and scandalous family feuds.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Daniel Gosling to explore the dramatic history of one of the most controversial institutions

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38:48

William Cecil: The Power Behind Elizabeth I

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/08/06

Who really ruled Elizabethan England?For almost four decades, William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, guided Queen Elizabeth I through religious turmoil, assassination plots, the threat of the Spanish Armada, the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the unresolved question of succession.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Jon Culverhouse to explore the life and legacy of the meticulous, fiercely Protestant statesman who became the indispensable power behind the Tudor throne.MoreRoyal Favourites:

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52:52

Witnesses to the French Revolution

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/08/03

What was the French Revolution like for those who lived through it? What can private journals reveal that speeches, pamphlets and official records cannot?From the storming of the Bastille to the Terror and the guillotine, ordinary witnesses recorded the personal impact of 1789, political violence, revolutionary identity and everyday life in Paris.In this final episode of our mini-series on the French Revolution, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out more from historian Michaela Kalcher.More:French

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44:04

New Discovery: Who Really Wrote Elizabeth I's Letters?

Not Just the Tudors ·

2026/07/30

Was Elizabeth I really as angry and bad tempered as history has always claimed? How did some of her most secret state letters come to be penned by a Spaniard, while England was at war with Spain?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb breaks the news of groundbreaking research that proves Elizabeth's secretaries - especially her 'spymaster' Francis Walsingham - put words into the Queen's mouth to amplify her tough image. Suzannah finds out more from Dr. Clodagh Murphy and Professor Nadine

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